The opening free practices of the Czech Republic Grand Prix at Brno challenged riders due to drastically different weather conditions. The morning session was held under dry conditions, and the afternoon under wet conditions.

But when the day’s sessions were complete, the man who set the pace was no surprise – Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez.

The 21-year-old Spaniard, who won the opening 10 rounds in 2014 MotoGP, topped Friday with a 1:56.803 aboard his RC213V in the morning (FP1) session.

But the reigning MotoGP Champion’s time wasn’t a complete runaway; the young sensation who dominated at Indy just a week ago finished a mere 0.037 of a second ahead of Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Jorge Lorenzo, and 0.052 of a second ahead of teammate Dani Pedrosa.

“I am happy with how the practices went today as the track has changed substantially compared with how it was when we tested here. I expected this, and we adapted our setup accordingly in the sessions –although I am still not entirely satisfied,” says Marquez, who won last season at Brno.

“In the afternoon when the track was wet –especially at the start of FP2– I was able to lap consistently and I felt good which is important. We will see what the weather is like tomorrow and if we can have a good qualifying session.”

The 24-rider grid all set fastest times in the dry morning session. The FP2 was a complete washout due to heavy rains, allowing riders to work on their wet setups.

Behind the provisional front row was the top Open-class rider so far this season, NGM Forward Racing’s Aleix Espargaro, who finished 0.199 of a second behind. Nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi was next, placing his Movistar Yamaha MotoGP YZR-M1 in fifth, 0.262 behind Marquez.

Rossi will make his 245th GP start in the premier class Sunday, and will now equal the record with the man who currently holds the record for most premier-class starts – Alex Barros.

In FP2, Pramac Racing Ducati’s Andrea Iannone was quickest with a 2:03.179, finishing ahead of Avintia Racing’s Hector Barbera, who posted a 2:04.462. These times were registered on dry setups just before the rain began falling. Barbera crashed just before the FP2 session concluded, as the Spaniard started his 200th GP weekend.

MotoGP reports that Marquez, Pedrosa, Rossi, Ducati Team’s Cal Crutchlow and Lorenzo were the fastest five riders in the wet afternoon conditions.

The riders return to Brno Saturday for two more practice sessions ahead of qualifying.